#goofball

His shoulder had fully recovered by now, although he was nonetheless excused from field duty for an additional month to ensure proper healing. It just so happened that he might have slacked off on his other duties besides just taking it easy for the time being. So, now he was left with way more work to get through than he'd otherwise have. Sadly, he had no one to blame for it but himself. It was hard not to nod off with countless lines of text all blurring together after hours of reading through them.

So, today was promising to be nothing but a yet another boringly monotonous work day, promting him to let out a lazy yawn as he finally reached his little island of paradise. But when he walked into his office, he was halted in his tracks as he stared blankly at the festive scene in front of him that definitely wasn't there when he left it.

"...When did you find the time to string up all these lights?"

Clearly caught in the act - as if decorating his office was some criminal offense - you quickly glanced away from him, a cute-looking wreath clutched in your hands. It was pretty evident that he inadvertently spoiled your surprise with his arrival. He would have felt bad about it if it wasn't for that lovely look of sheepishness blooming on your face.

"The plan was for me to finish while you were on your lunch break and say it was all thanks to the magic of the holiday or whatever, but... Looks like my Christmas miracle didn't go exactly to that plan."

"Ah," he snorted, placing his mug on the desk as he sauntered over to you, taking the wreath out of your hands. In the thirty minutes he was out of the office, you really did a great job. A tiny but festive Christmas tree was twinkling next to his monitor, and his desk was adorned with matching cozy lights. The office walls were even adorned with paper snowflakes that sure looked handmade! Really, it's no wonder he caught you in the act. From what he knew about you, it's highly likely that you bit off more than you could chew with this whole plan of yours.

You always were eager to impress him like that. Even if you didn't really have to do any extra work to make him swoon.

"So you wanted to be my special Santa this year? Should have bought a hat. Would look cute on you." He lightly nudged your hip with his own, his grin widening as your posture relaxed and you muffled a laugh of your own. Good. He'd always find some way to make you smile when your nerves got the better of you. Even if it was due to another ridiculous surprise of yours.

"Yeah? What about a beard then? You know I don't like only doing things half-way," you teased back, scratching at your chin thoughtfully. Now it was his turn to snicker, with all of the afternoon's exhaustion oozing out of him just from your warm presence alone. You were better than any caffeine for his energy levels as far as he was concerned.

"I'd make it work," he winked, even if the mental image of you in a full traditional Santa get-up had him pushing down the urge to laugh. He was subtly alluding to some sexy variation, however he was not especially surprised that his hint went completely unnoticed by you. "Should bake you some cookies then. With extra special love from me, of course."

He wasn't being very subtle there. But you just laughed and leaned back against his desk with a soft sigh. Once your initial embarrassment over having your plans ruined has faded, you gave him a more measured look.

"...Would you have liked it better if I asked you to help me decorate?"

His smile softened. He might have teased you, but that was mostly because he liked getting on your nerves a little. One thing he loved about you was that you always tried to make his days better, even if some of your ideas wouldn't work out. It might have been cheesy, sure, but in the constant stream of bullshit his live has been, some simple cheesiness went a very long way.

Hell, he's pretty sure that hand-crafted Christmas tree that Sherry mailed him was the only decoration he cared enough to put up last year. Although that one was now being kept for safekeeping back at home. It was a pleasant departure from his rather boring norm, having his office decorated to resemble some Christmas fair. And, of course, he had you to thank for that.

He shrugged.

"Eh, I would have liked to help you carry all the heavy stuff, but I don't mind you sneaking behind my back. What man doesn't appreciate a nice surprise from their special someone on Christmas eve?"

You seemed to brighten up at his positive reception, breathing out a relieved exhale that was a bit too dramatic for the silly situation at hand. However, you did occasionally have a tendency to lose your cool over the littlest of things.

"Oh thank God. I was kind of worried it was a bit much. But... I also didn't want you to miss out on Christmas completely like you did last year. Seemed like the least I could do."

You've been together for a couple of years now, and yet, you still would go out of your way to try and impress him. It was nice, and it surely made his stomach flutter with happy butterflies, but he also did not want you to exhaust yourself for his sake. Still, you both knew that as much as you might have wanted to spend the holidays together as a proper couple would, that wasn't always an option. In reality, it was typically not an option at all.

His usual Christmas present was a nice paycheck bonus for having to spend his days stuck at the office or, worse yet, out on an assignment. And while he'd almost always spend it all on spoiling you rotten, he realized it wasn't exactly the replacement for you two seeing your family during the holidays, or renting out some cozy cabin out in the woods for some much-needed alone time.

Of course, you were always humble, patient. Nearly too much, in his opinion. Always reassuring him that being with him was all the Christmas present you'd ever need, even when all he could offer you was an apologetic kiss to your forehead as he'd slip away to the airport in the middle of the night.

With his hands lightly resting on your hips, he drew you into himself. "Sweetheart, it's a hell of a lot more than just 'the least you could do'. You could've stopped at that little Christmas tree and I would've been just peachy with that. But you went and tried to turn my office into a whole Christmas party of one. If that's your idea of going small, I'm kind of scared to ask what you going all out would've looked like."

His words might have been carried with that familiar playful tilt of his, but that didn't make them any less genuine. He did not want you to minimize your efforts simply because they did not turn out exactly as you had expected. Who else could brag about their adorable partner going through the trouble of sneaking into their office just for some cheesy Christmas magic? As far as he was concerned, he was the luckiest guy in the building, and he already had his most prized Christmas present right here, looking back at him with that sheepish smile he wanted to wipe off your face with a proper kiss.

But for the time being, he was content to just assist you in completing your small Christmas project. He knew you didn't like leaving things unfinished, after all. Plus, two pairs of hands work faster than one.

...Even if he spent most of his time nuzzling up to you and pinching your behind.

Hey, it never hurts to have a little fun, right?

As you two have finally finished completely renovating his boring office into a set pulled straight from some cheesy Christmas romcom, you stood in the doorway, admiring your hard work. Of course, he ogled you instead. Not his fault your proud grin dazzled brighter than any Christmas light ever could. However, he couldn't resist smirking when his eyes strayed higher, lifting your chin up so you could see the mistletoe hanging from a single crimson ribbon.

"Well, would you look at that. Wonder who could have put that there."

You promptly stammered, a nervous little smile instantly appearing on your face as you sought for nonexistent excuses to give. He had you busted. Then again, you wouldn't have sneakily put it up there if you didn't want him to bust you. He knew how you operated by now.

"O-Oh- The mistletoe! I didn't even realize... I was in such a hurry to use everything I brought that I guess I kinda... Did it on autopilot, I think?"

"-Uh-huh."

It did not take long for you to groan and fold, you shoulders sagging in resignation. "...You're not buying this, are you."

He grinned, tapping your nose.

"Nope. But hey, I ain't complaining. Whether you really did it on accident or to get my hands on you. You know me, I'm a citizen of the law. Can't break the rules of a holiday tradition now, can we?"

As cute as it was to watch you stumble over your words to try and cover your tracks, he knew full well you put it there on purpose. Even though you didn't always know how to ask for it directly, you always found a way to make it clear that you wanted his affection. That was fine by him, really. You simply needed a little encouragement sometimes, and he's grown fond of that even. You were just as greedy and handsy as he was once you got over the initial awkward bump of initiation. And he was a man of action.

You fiddled with your thumbs, sneaking quick glance at him like some kid that got caught with their hand in a cookie jar.

"So..."

He stopped you then and there, effortlessly pulling you back in by the hip.

"-C'mon. I think you've earned a kiss or two for all your hard work today. Think of it as a reward. Or my early Christmas present to you."

And with that, he leaned in, his lips brushing sweetly over your own in a way that was everything that a sweet, innocent kiss under a mistletoe should be. Your lips tasted wonderfully of chocolate, but his breath carried the rich taste of coffee he had earlier to combat his afternoon fatigue. He suppressed the urge to chuckle into you. Hot chocolate. Sweet. Just like you. He didn't have a chance to break away from you right then, though, with your hands quickly reaching forward into the lapels of his shirt to keep him near and your mouth chasing after him with considerably more boldness than you'd shown him so far.

He certainly wasn't complaining, a soft exhale of approval leaving through his nose as your mouths met and parted again and again, the space between you filling with soft sounds of lips parting, breaths mingling and clothes rustling, but never quite separating from each other completely. And as you gently nipped at his lower lip, he had half a mind to pull you right back inside his office and lock the door for a good half an hour at the very least.

But, as you finally pulled back from one another properly, both a little bit dazed, flushed and ruffled up, he couldn't possibly bring himself to feel disappointed, just giggling along with you with a shared understanding of getting carried away like a couple of overly excited teenagers.

"Y'know...," he murmured softly, placing a quick little peck to your cheek, the hand that was previously securely resting on your hip sliding downwards to give your behind a playful squeeze. "I think I want you doing this for me on every Christmas from now on."

You grinned.

"The... decorating part? Or the kissing part?"